Contractualism + Software Engineering: We're All In This Together
summary
Argues that contractualism — judging actions by whether any affected person could reasonably reject them — gives concrete decision rules for engineers, introduces the user stack (employees, fellow teams, customers, end users, affected non‑users), and analyzes real cases: YouTube mobile pricing discrepancy, a toggle to avoid benefits in shift scheduling, and a facial‑recognition false arrest. Recommends actionable tools: blameless ethics retros, internal reporting channels, group pushback, and the option to refuse or rework features.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Start
- 2:01Why Did I Choose Contractualism this Particular Ethical Framework
- 2:20Buckets of Ethical Theory
- 2:45Consequentialism
- 3:08Non-Consequentialism
- 3:42The Good Place
- 7:23User Stack
- 15:27Weapons of Math Destruction by Kathy O'neil
- 18:52Robert Williams
- 21:20Who Is Benefiting
- 24:28Practical Tips
- 25:12Software Engineers Are in Demand
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